WINNIPEG - Entering the 2021 season, there was no denying who the face of Manitoba's offence was. The conversation started and stopped with fifth-year veteran quarterback Des Catellier, the program's all-time leader in completion percentage and lead man for three-and-a-half years. 

Calm and collected, Catellier and company stepped on to IG Field Saturday for their first regular season conference game in over 700 days against the Regina Rams. He and his teammates weathered a first half storm, entering the third quarter down 17-8. But just as Catellier – who threw for 176 yards and a score on the day – was building momentum, tragedy struck, as the pivot went down with a lower body injury on a quarterback keeper with 3:51 to play in the third. 

Despite the tragic event, the team rallied around their signal-caller. Manitoba's defence pitched a shutout in the second half, outscoring Regina 13-0 the rest of the way to move to 1-0 on the season with a 21-17 win.  

"You lose who we think is one of the absolute best quarterbacks in the nation. How disheartening, I can't even imagine for him. How disheartening for our whole team. You could feel it. But then there was a surge," said Bisons head coach Brian Dobie.

"There was a collective need to dig deeper. You could feel it, you could hear it on the bench. [The defence] pitched a shutout in the second half and came back and did what it took to win it."

Leading the charge was hybrid defensive end Brock Gowanlock, a CFL Draft pick of the Montreal Alouettes and vocal leader who's known Catellier for as long as both have been in the program. He had a game-high seven tackles, added one-and-a-half sacks, was a menace on special teams and scored the game-winning touchdown two minutes into the fourth quarter after picking up a botched handoff, taking it 31 yards to the house. The major gave Manitoba their first lead of the game at 20-17 and came directly after a 34-yard Cole Sabourin field goal less than a minute prior. 

"I've been here every single year with Des. Des is a super close friend of mine and is a super close friend of everybody. He's the heart and soul of this team and as soon as he went down, there was obviously remorse for the guy, but we knew the number one thing that he'd want would be for us to come out and get a win," Gowanlock said. "Right away all of us focused up and said all we have to do is put our heads down and get this W."

It was a stout performance all game from both defensive units. The Rams wreaked havoc in the first half in terms of pressure, forcing a number of quick throws while recording five sacks from five different players. Linebacker Cody Peters paced the group with five-and-half tackles and a sack. 

Manitoba added four of their own overall, but trailed 16-0 with two minutes to go in the first half after a Kyle Borsa 10-yard touchdown reception and Cameron Cross 11-yard reception. Both majors were set up by long passes from Josh Donnelly, who took advantage of blitz calls from Manitoba, finding multiple receivers in single coverage while finishing the day with 256 yards. The first came on a 30-yard reception to D'Sean Mimbs, who led all receivers with 91 yards on four catches, and the second was courtesy of a 36-yarder to Riley Boersma. 

The Herd kept their foot on the gas pedal though, and cut the Rams lead to nine, thanks in part to Catellier's first touchdown pass of the season, a 51-yarder to Kai Madsen who capitalized on busted coverage in the secondary. The major came after a failed third down attempt from the Rams which drastically shifted the momentum of the contest. 

Manitoba quarterback Jackson Tachinski, who's in his first year of eligibility but third year with the program, calmly entered the game after Catellier went down. The multi-sport athlete showcased his athleticism on a few first down runs and managed the game well for the Bisons, getting them in a position for Sabourin to kick his first field goal of the season. The defence did their thing afterwards, forcing the Rams to go two-and-out on every drive in the fourth quarter minus their last possession, which was stymied at Manitoba's 22-yard line.

With the win, Manitoba advances to 1-0, while Regina falls to 0-1. The Bisons will travel to Alberta next week to take on the 1-0 Golden Bears while Regina will face Calgary at home.